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Weeknight style, 30 minute Extra Saucy Thai Summer Noodle Stir Fry with Sesame Peanuts and all the fresh summer vegetables. Quick-cooking, gluten-free rice noodles tossed in a sweet and spicy Thai sauce with caramelized chicken, zucchini, garden fresh bell peppers, and summer basil. Top each bowl full of noodles with salty, slightly spicy sesame peanuts. Every bite is filled with saucy noodles, delicious vegetables, and hints of sweet Thai basil…so very delicious. Weeknight bonus? This is all made (mostly) in one pan without the use of your oven. A simple, delicious dinner for these warm summer days.
Hey everyone! Happy Monday! I know that’s not the most creative way to open today post, but it’s actually how I am feeling. Our weekend wasn’t exactly restful, but it was so nice. I spent some time filming with Malachi, and even though we were working, we always manage to have some good brother-sister time and laughs in between. I said this yesterday in the Sunday Favorites, but it’s nice being able to call “work” filming recipe videos with your brother. We made some delicious recipes, including this pizza, and I can’t wait to share the videos in the coming weeks!
Point is, I’m feeling like it’s going to be a good week. And we’re starting it off with a delicious, quick, and easy summer dinner.
Growing up my dad would make chicken stir fry all the time in the summer months. He’d toss in whatever vegetables he had on hand. Usually fresh garden bell peppers and broccoli with some cubed chicken and lots of soy sauce. He’d serve the chicken and vegetables up over bowls of steamed white rice, then top it all off with salted peanuts.
Basically it was a very salty, stir fry, which is probably why it was one of my favorite dinners he’d make. I remember absolutely loving the soy sauce soaked vegetables and handfuls of fresh basil. Delicious.
It seems that every summer I too fall back on simple stir-fry dinners that use up all the garden vegetables and herbs.
Which brings me to this Thai summer noodle stir-fry. This is nothing like my dad’s stir fry, but it is quick and easy like his were. And well, no offense to my dad, but in my opinion, it’s much more delicious.
To make this quick (30 minute) stir fry…
Start with the noodles. I like to use these thick cut Thai rice noodles, but really any noodle works well. In the past, I’ve used egg noodles in stir fry’s and found them to be equally good.
Cook the noodles according to the package directions. While that’s happening, get started prepping all the vegetables and mixing up the sauce. For the sauce, I actually used a very similar sauce to the one I used in my recent Thai chicken. But I switched it up a little and added in my favorite Thai red curry paste. It’s simply a little soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, and Thai curry paste. Sweet, spicy, and salty, my tried and true favorite combination.
Next up those salty, spicy sesame peanuts. These are a must. I love the crunchiness they add to this, and of course, their flavor. Salted peanuts with honey and toasty, nutty sesame seeds.
Once the peanuts are made the rest is simple and quick. Caramelize the chicken in a bit of the stir fry sauce. Add in all of the vegetables, then those noodles. The key with this stir fry is to allow the noodles to finish cooking in the sauce for a bit to really soak up the stir fry sauce and become “extra saucy” and “extra flavorful“.
Once the noodles are added, toss in Thai or regular basil. And if you have some on hand, some cilantro as well.
Finish each bowl off with a squeeze of lime. YUM.
So simple and quick, but so full of flavor. I love a summer dinner like this. It’s something I always look forward to making and know it’s a dish that everyone in the family will truly love. In fact, this one even got my oldest brother’s seal of approval.
His only request…more chicken. Typical, but I found the chicken to be just the right amount, so I vetoed his ask.
Some swaps and suggestions for you…
If you’re a vegetarian, you can easily omit the chicken from this recipe. I’d recommend adding sliced mushrooms or additional bell peppers. Then just swap the fish sauce for extra soy sauce. Easy and still delish.
For the vegetables, feel free to use a mix of whatever you have on hand or are growing in the garden. I used zucchini and bell peppers, but broccoli, eggplant, and even sturdier greens like kale would all be really good.
My favorite part…these noodles are so good leftover. They’re perfect for packing up for lunch the following day.
And with that, what do you think…Monday night Thai noodles? With extra sauce and all the vegetables plus basil…YES!
Looking for other Thai summer favorites? Here are a few ideas:
Better Than Takeout Thai Drunken Noodles
Better Than Takeout Szechuan Noodles with Sesame Chili Oil
25 Minute Thai Black Pepper Chicken and Garlic Noodles.
Lastly, if you make this saucy Thai summer noodle stir fry with chili sesame peanuts, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Saucy Thai Summer Noodle Stir Fry with Sesame Peanuts
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 528 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces wide rice noodles
- 3 tablespoons sesame or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 cup raw peanuts
- 2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes use more or less to your taste
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 zucchini or yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
- 2 red or orange bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh Thai or regular basil, roughly torn
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- limes, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain.2. To make the peanuts. Heat the 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon honey, the peanuts, sesame seeds, and chili flakes in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until lightly toasted and caramelized, 3-4 minutes. Watch closely. Spoon the peanuts out of the skillet onto a parchment-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt. Set aside.3. To make the sauce. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup honey, the soy sauce, fish sauce, curry paste, and ketchup.4. Wipe the skillet clean. Heat the oil over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken, season with pepper, and brown all over, until it becomes crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, cook another 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Pour in 1/3 of the sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the sauce coats the chicken, 2-3 minutes. Add the zucchini and bell peppers, cook another 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Pour in the remaining sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the noodles, basil, and cilantro. Toss to combine, cooking another 5 minutes until the sauce coats the noodles. 5. Serve the noodles topped with sesame peanuts, additional basil, and lime juice.
YUM!! I screwed up and forgot to buy peanuts, so skipped the first step. And I subbed shrimp for chicken, since I’m a pescatarian. But everything else remained the same and this was fantastic!! I didn’t measure anything, just eyeballed and that is my favorite way to cook.
I’m pretty sure the only recipes that I follow anymore are from you!! Thanks for yet another great recipe!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Alissa! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
This was amazing! My husband and kids loved it! We went with the vegan option adding broccoli and mushrooms and omitting the fish sauce and it was delicious!!!
Thank you so much Kristin! xTieghan
Just tried this and it was so good! Wish I had remembered to take a picture but there isn’t even a tiny bit left. We are big fans of Thai food and this satisfied those cravings. Those peanuts are delist!! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thank you so much Lori!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
Made this for dinner and it was amazing! With “stir fry” dishes like these lately I’ve been putting chicken breast through my food processor! Did that with this recipe and we loved it!
Thank you so much Leah!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hi T!! I LOVE your blog. I basically spend an hour every Sunday scrolling and pick 2-3 things I want to make for the week! Makes meal prepping so much easier. Thank you for your work! Do you have a bean of red curry paste that you like? I’m making this tonight! Thanks again!!
Hey Destinie,
Thanks so much for your kind message! I am so glad you have been enjoying the recipes. I really like the Thai Kitchen brand of red curry paste. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this last night, SO good – those sweet, spicy peanuts are kind of amazing!
Thank you so much Nicole! xTieghan
Made this last night, it was so good! I’m vegetarian so I subbed seitan for chicken and left the fish sauce out. I also used whole wheat spaghetti instead of rice noodles. Altogether it took about 40 minutes to make and was the perfect level of spiciness!
Love that! Thank you for trying this Anne! xTieghan
I made this with “healthy noodles” from Costco and it’s seriously so good!!! I loved the spice and the salt of this from the soy sauce. I will definitely make this again!
Thank you so much Bre!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This is delicious!!!
Thank you so much LaShay! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I want to made this for my daughter’s family who are returning from vacation, but my grandson is allergic to peanuts. Do you think that it will be okay to omit the peanuts?
Hey Cindy,
Yes totally fine to leave them out. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This looks yummy except I absolutely loathe ketchup and don’t keep it in the house. Can you think of a decent sub, or would I be safe to leave it out?
Hey Angie,
You can just omit the ketchup. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Was definitely delicious but finding wide rice noodles in a regular grocery store seemed to not be a thing here in Austin. opted for Pad Thai Rice Noodles that broke apart a bit too much. Also, this was easy enough once everything was cut up but definitely was more than 30 minutes to create even with cutting my garlic, zucchini and bell peppers the night before. Great flavor and fun dish overall!
Love to hear that Fara!! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
I swapped the rice noodles with sweet potato noodles and it turned out really good!
Aamzing!! I am really glad you enjoyed this one, Jill! xTieghan
Made this yesterday for lunch and it was delicious! I’m afraid the prep time was considerably longer for me because I found slicing the chicken time consuming. I did use more chicken, knowing that my family would want more. Despite the tedious slicing of the chicken, I will make again. It’s so very good!
Love that so much!! Thank you so much for trying this one, Sheran! xTieghan
Just made this and was so excited until I got to the part with cilantro which isn’t mentioned in the ingredient list and I didn’t have any! Of course read similar comments after the fact and felt dumb for not having it for garnish but relieved I didn’t miss a flavor in the cooking. I used fresh picked Thai basil from my yard and using a whole cup of it made it pretty overpowering. I own both HBH books and have loved everything I’ve ever made from both them and from IG but this is the first time I felt like something could have been improved. Definitely will cut back on the basil the next time around.
Hi Emily! I am really sorry tis did not turn out as you expected.. Is there anything I can help you with? I would love to fix it! xTieghan